1

Sept/Oct 2017

2 Clark Fork Ou�ng

3 Grand Ronde Ou�ng

5 Sasha Goes to Flyfishing Camp

6 Fishots (your photos)

7 Middle Fork Mentoring Ou�ng

11 July Membership Mee�ng

In this Issue... Summer Fishing Explosion

The rivers have dropped, the heat has risen, and the fun on

the water is at a peak! That is summers in the Pacific

Northwest and the busiest �me for our club and the many

ou�ngs.

This summer issue will feature lots of places and fun where

our club threw fly lines and caught lots of fish.

St. Regis River, Montana

2

Clark Fork Outing (July 7-9)

Two words best describe our

fishing experience at the Clark

Fork, plen�ful variety. We all

sca�ered to different rivers, some

wading and others dri�ing. For

the most part, fish were plen�ful

and we all caught them! Some

more than others, but we all

caught fish.

Tents speckled the lawn at the

Johnson’s cabin. Heat around 99

degrees greeted us Friday when

most of us arrived. A wonderful

meal, some good drinks, and lots

of conversa�ons were our

pleasure on Friday.

People par�cipa�ng in this ou�ng

were: David Arms, Ron Bailey,

Brian Boone, Ed Caldwell, Nany Graham, Ralph

Higgins, Jim Hopper, Carl and Maura Johnson, Charlene

Kaiser, Susan Lah�, Peter and Kelly Maunsell, Marianne

Mitchell, Ron Romeis, Ron Takemura, Steve Willams, and Ray

Willms.

Con�nued on page 9

Upcoming Trips

Salt Water Day Trip - September 9, 2017

Camano Island

Metolius River – September 15-17, 2017

Central Oregon

Klickitat River (Salmon and Steelhead)

Sept 29-Oct 1

Cascades near The Dalles

Pass Lake - October 7, 2017

Decep�on Pass

Whidbey Island, WA

****

Front Cover Masthead—Ron Takemura

Tent Village on the lawn at Johnsons

Clark Fork River near Dry Creek

3

Grand Ronde Outing (July 16-22)

A happy fly fisher some�mes just needs to roll with

what nature offers you. Our planned trip to Turner

Lakes in BC was halted by major forest fires just days

before departure. The fires cut off the route north as

well as causing Tweedsmuir Provincial Park to be shut

down. Of course this was a huge disappointment. But

six of us were undeterred and decided we would s�ll

find a place to fish. Some quick thinking and planning

on the part of Mark Conner and Peter Maunsell

redirected us to Oregon to float the Grande Ronde. So

on Sunday the six of us took off with two ra�s and

two pontoon boats heading for NE Oregon.

The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake

River, 182 miles long, in northeastern Oregon and

southeastern Washington. In 1988, the United States

Congress designated about 44 miles (71 km) of the

river, from its confluence with the Wallowa River to

the Oregon–Washington border, as the Grande Ronde

Wild and Scenic River, as part of the Na�onal Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

WALLOWA-GRANDE ROE

Wallowa-Grande Ronde River Trip

On Monday we put in at the Minam access for our five-day

float to Powwatka Bridge, 39 river miles – 10 on Wallowa river

29 on Grande Ronde river. It’s hard to sum up such a trip. The

fishing was fair to good. A steady supply of 8-12” fish kept us

busy. Sasha Conner out-fished us all in terms of numbers of

fish caught. Peter Maunsell caught the largest trout >16”. But

beyond the fishing the beauty and tranquility of the river

dominated the trip. The scenery is spectacular. The Wallowa

and Grande Ronde Rivers offer superb ra�ing and camping.

Rugged canyon walls of basalt rise to 4,000 feet above river

level. Dense conifer forest alternates with lush grasslands, and

campsites are beau�ful. Wildlife including deer, elk, bears,

eagles, and mink can be spo�ed along the river. At one bend in

the river we were treated to a close up view of a Rocky

Mountain sheep and her kid which had come down from the desert above to eat lush grass along the riverbank.

Willama-Grande Ronde River Trip

4

Grande Ronde continued from pg 3

Every night we found great campsites. Everyone got involved in

cooking our meals and the cleanup. A�er dinner and stories we’d

head off to sleep. The weather was excellent for the en�re trip.

Warm days gave way to cool nights. Because of the dry desert

condi�ons, no one needed the fly on their tent. It was a

wonderful week of sleeping under the stars, with no cars,

phones, nor internet.

When we got to Powwatka Bridge and the pullout, it felt like the

trip was too short. It’s a mixed blessing to get back to a hec�c

world. It’s nice to have all the conveniences of the city. So as

they say: “There’s always next year."

The Willama – Grande Ronde Team

(le� to right)

Mark Conner

Sasha Conner

Peter Rubinstein

Eric Olson

Peter Maunsell

Wytold Lebing

- Wri�en by Wytold Lebing * Photos by Various

Photographers

5

Sasha goes to flyfishing camp

NFA is pleased that one of our own, Sasha Connor, got the privilege of a�ending the Northwest Youth Conserva�on

and Fly Fishing Academy (www.�ny.cc/NWFFA) in June. The week-long intensive academy is for youth ages 12-16 and

is held in Lacey, WA.

Each year, our club is on the lookout for young people in our club or related to members of our club who we might

sponsor for this incredible ou�ng. Learn more about Sasha’s experience here: www.�ny.cc/2017NWFFA

6

FISHOTS Submit your fishots to Brian at

stauroo@gmail.com. Include your name,

fish caught, and loca�on.

Jay Winters, smallmouth bass, July on John Day River in Oregon

Brian Boone, cu�hroat trout, July on Clark Fork River

in Montana

7

Middle Fork Mentoring Outing (Aug. 19)

I am not one who believes in miracles. However, when Art Alton, Dave Campbell, Kathy Watson, and I arrived (in my

van) at Tanner Landing Park at 8:45 on Saturday August 19th and Marty “No-Show” Behnke was already there, I

briefly contemplated changing my views on Divine interven�on.

By 9:00 Tom Beaulaurier and David Jones had brought our group total to seven. I distributed a map I had made of my

favorites fishing spots on the Middle Fork downstream of the concrete bridge. To get your copy click here.

David Jones, who has recently go�en into fly fishing, packed his equipment into Tom Beaulaurier’s car and they both

headed out for some on-the-stream instruc�on. Marty, who had forgo�en her wading boots, loaded her stuff into my

van and the five of us went off to look at the areas on my map with the idea of finding a place we could all spread out

and do some mentoring/fishing.

A�er exploring the first spot, about a mile upstream of Tanner Landing, and the second “secret” spot, another two

miles upstream, we found ourselves driving up the newly paved Middle Fork Road. Wow! What an improvement over

the pot-holed, dusty, gravel-road-from-hell we all hated. The new beauty is paved all the way to the Taylor River,

with the excep�ons of a fi�y-yard sec�on where a cliff is being blasted to widen the road.

As you might expect, given that two million people live within a 40-mile drive of this brand new paved highway into

the wilderness, there were quite a few cars on the road and even some bicycles (one towing a wheeled baby

carrier—with baby).

Dana Bo�cher, Marty Behnke, David Jones, Kathy Watson, Dave Campbell, Tom Beaulaurier, and Art Alton

8

Middle Fork continued from pg 7

I was headed for our secret NFA stretch of water just upstream of the mouth of the Pra� River, a tributary of the

Middle Fork. Several years ago, the NFA had agreed to take on the responsibility of maintaining this stretch of

river. On several occasions club members have removed trash and a�empted to eradicate blackberries in the

area. A couple of years ago Art and I spent a few hours there during the August Mentoring Ou�ng. It is a perfect

stretch for four or five people to spread out and engage in the give and take of mentoring.

As we drove up the road, we no�ced brand new signage, new trails, and trailheads with mini paved parking spots

along the road. Things were certainly different. Everything was all spiffed up. I was beginning to wonder if I could find

the exact spot where two Jersey barriers marked the beginning of an obscure trail that wound through the dense

woods down to the clearing and sandy beach fron�ng the beau�ful stretch of water.

No problem. The Jersey barriers were s�ll there.

Problem: There was a big sign. It said “Pra� Bar”. The “sandy beach fron�ng the beau�ful stretch of water” now has

an official name. The miniscule, wide spot in the road that held maybe two cars (if the first car had been kind enough

to leave room), has now been replaced with a paved, seven-car parking area. I know it will fit seven cars because

there were seven cars already there and no room for a van (even if I had wanted to park there). And if that wasn’t

bad enough, two guys with inner tubes were walking up the road looking for a spot to enter the river and float back

down to Pra� Bar.

Plan B: I knew of a spot a mile up river that might work, but would be a �ght squeeze for us. With fingers crossed, we

drove on. Rounding the corner to where we could park and walk to the river, I saw two cars parked in a paved pull

out. One car looked familiar and then I understood why. Tom Beaulaurier was comple�ng his first mentoring talk

with David Jones when we stopped to say hello (with clinched jaws). We all forced smiles as they walked into the

woods.

Plan C: It was �me to go back to Tanner Landing and drop Marty off so she could get her car and follow us into North

Bend where I knew a spot on the Middle Fork along the dike where we could all spread out and wet a line. As we

drove west into downtown, the eastbound lane was bumper-to-bumper with vehicles that had le� 1-90 due to an

accident. Since it was almost noon and there had been constant talk about the world-famous North Bend Bakery, we

stopped for lunch.

A�er lunch we (Marty closely following my van) headed north out of downtown and no�ced that there was also a

line of cars crawling into town from the town of Snoqualmie. Drivers were now leaving I-90 west of North Bend. My

intent was to turn right onto Sixth Street and scoot past EJ Roberts Park to the dike at the end of the street. I passed

Third and an�cipated Sixth in three blocks. At Fourth the street I was on suddenly doglegged to the west and we

were on our way to the town of Snoqualmie. To reverse course meant doing a u-turn in a mile or so and ge�ng at

the rear of an endless stream of barely moving traffic. $%#@*&!!

Plan D: “Have you guys ever seen the put-in on the main stem of the Snoqualmie below the falls? And a�er that who

wants to stop for a cold one in Fall City?”

Synopsis of the day: David Jones, the only person in the group who really needed mentoring, got some thanks to the

generosity of Tom Beaulaurier. The rest of us visited several formerly secret fishing spots, travelled for the first �me

on the magnificent Middle Fork Road, saw the parking lot for the trail to Pra� Bar (formerly known as “the secret

fishing spot of the NFA”), watched Tom and David walk into the woods to go fishing, had lunch at a world-famous

bakery, listened to me curse, visited the boat launch below Snoqualmie Falls, passed up a chance to have a drink in

Fall City, and didn’t have to dry out any fishing equipment.

- Wri�en by Dana Bo�cher

9

Clark Fork Outing continued from pg 2

Fishing began Friday with some who had arrived early. On

Friday, Carl rowed for his grandson on the Clark Fork from Dry

Creek to Sloway. They caught a few fish, but mainly scurried

off the water by 1pm because of the heat. Susan fished Fish

Creek and caught a nice cu� and several smaller fish.

Saturday the fishing began. Several dri�ed the Clark Fork

while others went to Fish Creek and St. Regis River. Carl, Ed,

and Peter dri�ed together and got into some

nice cu�s.

People went in different direc�ons. Jim and I

used our pontoon boats to fish Dry Creek to

Sloway. We both caught several whitefish and

a few cu�s. Jim had two fish that absolutely

hammered his fly. One fish bent a hook

straight and the other stripped him all the way

to backing. Would love to have that back!

Other people fished on the St. Regis off Li�le

Joe Road. They had a great �me catching some fish on

dries and others on droppers. Steven caught a 16” cu�.

And Ron Romeis dialed in quite a number of fish

nymphing. Susan went to the St Regis, up to mile

marker 22 and also caught fish -albeit some small ones.

Con�nued on page 10

Pat’s Rubber Legs Jim Hopper with a nice

Clark Fork rainbow

10

Clark Fork Outing continued from pg 9

On Sunday, everyone packed up the camp except for

a few stragglers who would stay another day. Several

hit the rivers for another half-day. Ed, Marianne, and

Carl were in a dri� boat. Brian and Jim took the

pontoons on the Clark Fork. It was slower fishing.

Most caught whitefish, but trout were more scarce.

Jim managed to catch three cu�s, one in the 16”

range.

Ron Takamura went to the St. Regis following Susan’s

great day. He caught seven nice trout, one all the

way up to 16”. He caught them on a pheasant tail

presented as dry-dropper.

Two other words also capture our trip; gracious

hosts! Carl and Maura were exemplary hosts to all of

us. They graciously opened their home to us, cooked

for us, and rowed for us. Wonderful people who offer

their li�le spot in paradise to friends like us.

- Wri�en by Brian Boone. Pictures from various

Upper:

Brian Boone with a 17”

St. Regis cu�.

Lower:

Gorgeous sec�on of St.

Regis. A picturesque

freestone river.

11

July Membership Meeting

Each year the club holds an annual

barbeque. We got a gorgeous evening at

the Good Shepherd Center in Sea�le.

Everyone ate well and shared lots of

fishing stories with each other.

Seth Felker and Carl Johnson talking fishing!

12

Quote of the Month

“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit

of what is elusive but a�ainable, a perpetual

series of occasions for hope."

~John Buchan

SERVING OFFICERS

Ma� Moore, President

Jim Morrison, Vice President

Peter Maunsell, Treasurer

David Arms, Secretary

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Alan Pilkington, Maura Johnson, Wytold Lebing,

Nomina�ons

Susanne Staats, Membership

Peter Rubenstein, Ou�ngs

Wytold Lebing, Conserva�on

Russ Shropshire , Librarian

Kim Kreidler & Helsa Petersen, Fly Box

Maura Johnson, Hospitality

Bre� Schormann , Webmaster

Art and Candee Alton, Raffle Coordinator

Open Posi�on, Educa�on

Brian Boone, Flypaper Editor

stauroo@gmail.com

Please send stories, photos, edits, and updates to the

editor.

Northwest Fly Anglers

PO Box 75212

Sea�le, WA 98175

northwes�lyanglers.org

Mark Connor on the Exxon Valdez

Ready for some grub on the Me�how Ou�ng

Michael Olson, Tom Beaulaurier, and Ron Takemura